Articulating a More Positive self-Identity. I like it. Here's why.

A Yoga Perspective

by Jennifer Rose & Better Existence | April 25, 2015

When I edited Articulating Strengths Together by Jerald Forster, my stepfather, the Yogini in me got very excited and interested in the practice of Strengths Articulation. So excited that I created a workshop that brought Dr. Forster and Swami Ma Sattvadevi together for a conversation about Strengths and Meditation in New York. 

That event was the beginning of a rich conversation between myself and my stepfather that is culminating in a new book that we are writing together. The book is about strengths articulation and identity. 

In a nutshell, strengths articulation is finding the best words to talk about what you like about yourself. This practice has a cumulative effect of improving positivity and positive self-regard. Well, it has for Professor Forster and myself, and we are currently welcoming case study participants, so email me if you are interested in seeing if this could work for you. 

How does this fit in with Yoga?

At it's heart, Yoga is about identity. The word Yoga can be translated as Yoke, and means yoking the individual consciousness to the Universal Consciousness. The central contemplative question of Yoga is Who am I? 

Simple question. But not easy to answer. For many Yogis, Universal Consciousness is a hypothetical notion. Contemplation and meditation are two methods of obtaining personal experience to test the hypothesis.

What makes meditation and contemplation difficult? One challenge is feeling overwhelmed by negative thoughts and feelings. Sometimes there is an idea that we cannot control our own mental negativity. We are at its mercy. Negativity in thoughts can translate into behaviors that either drown out negativity or act out negativity. Prone to habits, we get caught in a cycle of negative thoughts and actions. With a dash of shame thrown in. Spicy!

Feeling Good About Yourself Helps You Contemplate, Helps You Meditate, Helps You Do Yoga

A remedy for mental negativity that you might recognize if you are a studied Yogi yourself is: focusing on what is sattvic. "Sattvic" is an adjective that describes positive, uplifting attributes such as peacefulness, beauty, wisdom, clarity, and the like. Focusing a lot on these qualities in and around us may have a stabilizing effect. 

Strengths articulation is this kind of practice. It is a practice in giving our attention to positive feelings and positive ideas about who we are. Yes. It is okay to feel safe in your own brain, like you are likable, lovable, and admirable to yourself. You needn't tell the nay-sayers you are doing it. They might spit out insults like "narcissist," "ego-maniac" or if you are a Yogi, they might, sadly, accuse you of having "Ahamkara" issues. Who has time for this? 

Positive Self-Regard Is the Beginning

From a psychological point of view, I suppose healthy, positive self-regard and a positive mental environment is an end to itself. From a Yoga point of view, it is about mid-way on the journey of this "Who am I?" contemplation. Taking out our Kosha Map, we will be continuing to journey through intuitive intelligence, bliss, and finally arriving at our destination of Universal Consciousness, hypothetically. 

The benefits of reducing our burden of negativity, our fears, regrets, and anxieties are self-evident. Increasing our positivity, our acceptance, love, and joy sounds good. 

The experience of taking the reigns of one's thoughts, and transforming ones self-identity? To witness identity as a self-created malleable something; that is priceless. Through the simple and beneficial practice of strengths articulation you have this opportunity. Take it!

As You Think, So Shall You Become --Bruce Lee

"The Words You THINK Become the HOUSE you live in." 

--Nishit Patel 

Join me in conversation with the author of this title quote, Nishit Patel, the first Wednesday of every month. Tomorrow our topic will be Mantra Initiation: Mastering Your Second Birth. Subscribe for the monthly teleconference here: Better Existence Events 

by Jennifer Rose & Better Existence | February 3, 2015

You are what your deep, driving desire is. 
As your desire is, so is your will. 
As your will is, so is your deed. 
As your deed is, so is your destiny. --Brihadaranyaka Upanishad IV.4.5

Introspective people have a tendency to bring cautionary attention to our thinking. 

We are what we think. 
All that we are arises with our thoughts. 
With our thoughts we make the world. 
Speak or act with an impure mind 
And trouble will follow you 
As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.  --The Buddha, from The Dhamapada

When wisdom appears similar across different traditions, that really gets my attention. 

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. --Proverbs 4:23

There is a battle of two wolves inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, lies, inferiority, and ego. The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth. Which wolf wins? The one you feed. --Cherokee Proverb

You can take their word for it, or you can find out for yourself. 

I guess I am the do-it-yourself kid. I want to run my own tests. I don't want to know it's true, want to experience this truth. I want to empower you to run your own tests, too. 

One concept in all of these quotations is that our thoughts have a creative effect. Mr. Patel is very concise and contrasts the subtle, interior "words you THINK" with a tangible, exterior "HOUSE."

What will you do with this wisdom?

When we set out to work on our "words" we are on in internal mission.

Meditation may be the most useful practice to empower a person who wants to change their thinking. Meditation introduces you to your interior life, of which your thoughts are a part. Many of the words we think are completely unconscious. And the "house" we find ourselves living in may seem alien, and not of our making. Meditation can make the unconscious conscious, and we can take responsibility not only for ourselves, but for our circumstances. (Read more about not being a victim of circumstances.) 

Meditation takes attention from the outside world and turns it inward. We become attuned to our bodies. And we benefit. We become more aware of how the food we eat affects us physically and mentally. We notice the effects of how much we sleep. We make better choices. 

People who meditate notice their emotions and the effects of emotions. They know how long they stay mad once they get started, for example. And there are glimmers of peace and joy that might otherwise have been missed. 

Meditators become more aware of their thoughts, the words they think. Then, they are ready to answer the question for themselves, Do the words I think build the house I live in? That is a question that is worthwhile to ask. If you could build a better house, would you build it? Next week I will give you a method. 

For now, let's get you started meditating. You can call me, 646-831-2675, or order my 2-Minutes to Meditate Cards on Etsy. These cards are beautiful and friendly. Their handmade, jewel-tone envelopes are a sacred space where you can keep your cards.

Especially good for beginners and experienced meditators who have lost track of their daily practice somewhere along the way, these cards provide support for your practice. In just two minutes a day you can lay a reliable foundation that you can build on. 

Letting Go. A Little Dab'll Do Ya

Start Letting Go of Small, Painful Things, and Pay Attention

by Jennifer Rose & Better Existence | December 10, 2014

I love talking to people about meditation and living a meditative lifestyle. Often, those conversations are about letting go. 

Sometimes I talk to people and they tell me that letting go is just too hard, and that they can't do it. I usually say something like, "That's fine then. Don't worry about it." 

I know they are worried because they want to get the benefits of meditation. They have invested a lot of time and attention, and they might be thinking, well, if I don't get it about this "letting go" thing, maybe I will miss out on Peace of Mind or something else abstract but cool sounding. 

I don't worry about them at that point, because this is just the beginning of the conversation, and I have done this before. We talk more, and somehow it comes out that they are thinking of letting go of something HUGE, such as a cherished identity like being a drummer, or an intimate relationship such as loving their children, or something that is part of the social contract like having money. They talk about letting go of something that is pleasing for them or something that helps them get along in life. "Don't let go. Don't worry about it." I say. I reassure them that they can still be an awesome meditator.

"Arise" by Jennifer Rose

At that point, I try to steer the conversation to something small that they could let go of. I might say something like, "Are there any small things you could let go of? Things that don't make you feel good, or even make you feel bad? For example, do you have a pair of socks with holes in them that you never wear, but keep in your drawer because your grandparents were raised during the depression and never got new socks? Do you have something that you would be better off without? Why not start with that? I have never met a person who couldn't think of something they had that they didn't really want or need. 

We talk about getting rid of those holey socks. And it turns out that those socks might be pretty difficult to let go of. The rational mind may be ready to let go of the socks, but something else is holding on. I don't tell them to get rid of the socks. I ask them whether they think they might be able to mindfully move in the direction of letting go of the socks. I tell them I want them to notice every single feeling and thought that arises around letting go of those socks. I tell them to study and learn as much as they can about letting go from those socks. 

They leave the conversation challenged, courageous, excited. "Maybe I can let go," they think. 

I love talking to people about meditation. Everything about it has a natural evolution. Letting go of some unused socks can become a profound understanding of attachment. It can lead to useful insights into the nature of attachment and identity. We let go of socks, and we get interested in the process. We move onto the baking dish that is perfectly good, but hasn't been used in fifteen years. We find ourselves giving more thought to acquiring things, and whether they will bring pleasure or pain. Paying attention to the nature of our own attachments can show us our unique path to ease and freedom. 

"Letting Go" is one of the images on the 2-Minute Practice Cards which introduce the chakras. They are available in the Better Existence Etsy store in physical and digital formats. 

9 Words That Will Come to Your Aid in Times of Need

Interesting. What is the Best That I Can Do?

by Jennifer Rose & Better Existence | October 23, 2014

For everything that plagues you, from dealing with a bad boss to coming to terms with a painful loss, these 9 words: Interesting. What is the best that I can do? will guide you. 

Interesting.

Say this word, and you engage the mind. You engage intellectual curiosity. You are lifted above disorienting emotions. The tone with which you say it makes a difference. Sincerity counts. Here, Spock provides a tutorial, using his touchstone, "fascinating."

For my generation, Spock is an icon of the intellect. When my yoga teacher, Nishit Patel, says, "interesting," his tone is lighter and more playful than Spock's tone. You will find a tone that works for you. Experiment a bit, and see what feels good. 

What is the best that I can do?

This question works on many levels. It inspires effort. It engages the mind to sort through options. It reassures that the best will be good enough. Perfection is not human. Sometimes the best that we can do is mourn. Whenever we do our best, we are engaged in an act of human dignity. 

This question is asked internally. Who asks? Who answers? We all have within us a compass that points toward what is right for us. This question engages that compass. 

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Nishit Patel coined, and has repeatedly advised the use of this phrase. It came up most recently during the first Conversation With Walking Yogi Nishit Patel. You can subscribe to future conversations. The next one is November 5th at 7pm New York time, and the topic will be "Life Altering Changes." You can also purchase recorded conversations after they occur. If you friend him on Facebook, his status updates are simple, practical reflections on yoga philosophy. 

These 9 words are also at the heart of Strength-focused coaching, as I have learned it from Jerald Forster. My stepdad is constantly showing me that being interested in whatever life dishes out and doing one's best can bring about the best possible outcomes emotionally and mentally, and even physically. The happiest man I know is fighting to be a two-time cancer survivor, and I hold him with a prayer in my heart. Right now that is the best I can do. 

I am not always glad when life is interesting, but being interested, and alert to my strengths always helps. 

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Better Existence was founded to help people achieve their goals. Whether you want to improve a relationship, complete a novel, start a meditation practice, or another goal, Better Existence is here to help. Take your next step with caring support. 

Do You Wake Up and Have Trouble Going Back to Sleep? This Pose Could Be The Fix

Reclining Buddha Is Trying to Help You Rest

by Jennifer Rose & Better Existence | September 29, 2014

Beautiful. Yes. Exotic. If you are a 24-year-old American girl, yes. The first time I traveled to Thailand and visited Wat Po, that is what I saw: a beautiful, exotic, enormous statue. That was half a lifetime ago. 

Today I see compassionate instruction. Perhaps we are not meant just to ogle this pose; we are meant to assume it, to see what the effects are. Perhaps its enormous size, more than 141 feet long, nearly half a football field, is an exclamation point on its meaning. This is a powerful pose. 

This pose healed my lifelong insomnia and terrible night anxiety. There must be someone else out there that it can help. I hope you will give it a try. 

How to Do the Pose

Notice these most important points about the position of the Reclining Buddha:

• He is lying on his right side.
• His platform is elevated under his right armpit.
• He is supporting his head.

Here is a photograph of the position I learned in yoga class with Nishit Patel, Vishnu Asana. This is the position I rest in when I wake up in the middle of the night and want to go back to sleep. 

• My left knee is bent, creating stability in the pose.
• My left elbow is bent, also for stability. 
• I am using a pillow to apply gentle pressure under my right armpit.

This pose changed my life. It gave me control over restlessness and nighttime anxiousness. If you are interested in understanding why it works, I can tell you, but try it first, and tell me what you experience. 

Use this pose to drift off to sleep, perhaps reading something calming to end the day, or use it to attain a calm state of mind if you wake up in the middle of the night. If you wake up anxious at 4am you are just like me. Lying in this pose might make as much of a difference in your life as it has in mine. 

If your right arm starts falling asleep, it is fine to move it.

If you do not find peace lying on your right side after twelve minutes or so, try lying on your left side in the same pose. I know 1 person who is more soothed on the left side than on the right side. 

I hope this helps you find relief. 

2-Minute Practice Cards: 2-Minute Bedtime Practices -- Wake Up Happy

Let's Talk About Discipline

Why Didn't Eknath Eat the Nut?

by Jennifer Rose & Better Existence | September 8, 2014

Does the word "discipline" leave you cold? Does it bring to mind a sadistic drill sergeant? Does it reek of the exact opposite of what you want to cultivate in your life?  

Have you ever asked yourself, "Why is discipline being touted as a virtue, when it is the epitome of icky, repellent, mindless, slavish following?" 

Has this question nagged you, as you have read the likes of St. Teresa of Avila almost weeping off the page with entreaty to apply oneself in a disciplined way to, in her case, prayer?

Maybe you tell yourself, "Well, it's fine for saints, but a mere mortal, I . . ." 

The Ancient Toltec wisdom in don Miguel Ruiz's The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom includes the equally impassioned entreaty, "Always do your best." 

What is the connection between discipline and personal freedom? 

The connection is simple but profound. 

There is a memorable scene in Eknath Easwaran's Passage Meditation: Bringing the Deep Wisdom of the Heart into Daily LIfe in which he describes being at someone's home and sitting near a bowl of cashews. He made up his mind to skip the cashews. However, he observed his hand, seeming almost independent, wandering toward the nut bowl again, and again, and again. Each time, he pulled his hand back. Because he had made up his mind, he brought that hand back empty again and again.

"Just eat the damn nut!" readers like me rail, "It's not like it's an entire pie." (There was this woman. She was in the hospital. In the night, she walked to the nurses' break room, went into the refrigerator, and ate the lemon meringue pie they had purchased for a party the next day. The whole pie. It wasn't like that.)  

Why didn't Eknath eat the nut?

Discpline can be doing something, such as prayer, a way of doing something, "your best," or not doing something, like eat the nut. 

Now ask yourself, if you make up your mind to ____________ (eat fewer calories, get up earlier, exercise regularly, save a few dollars each month, smile at the kids every day, stop using heroin) and at the critical moment you "do whatever you want to," you EAT THE NUT so to speak, are you free?

Have you ever felt like a slave to a habit?

Join the teleconference Conversations With Walking Yogi Nishit Patel before October 1st, when the topic will be Discipline. 

Nishit Patel, (who is great to friend on Facebook, because he is giving away the store every day with wise posts straight from the heart) tells a story about a Yogi Saint, Swami Ramtirth, who had a devotee who brought an apple each day at the same time. Until one day that devotee did not bring the apple! This Yogi Saint noticed that the absence of the expected apple created a mental disturbance. . . . He never ate another apple. 

This story demonstrates a premium placed on freedom from habits. It demonstrates the awesome power that habits have to disturb our minds, and the urgency to invest in conscious thought and action. 

Swami Sivananda of Gangotri to Bhole from 'At the Eleventh Hour' by Rajmani Tigunait (page 95): 

. . . discipline becomes torture if you do not understand its value and if you are not motivated to help yourself. It is self-motivation that prepares the ground for self-commitment. Only then do you enjoy the disciplines you undertake. Such discipline is called austerity. If you don't enjoy it, it is torture. 

 Join us in meaningful conversation on this topic and many more: Conversations With Walking Yogi Nishit Patel  the first Wednesday of every month. 

You Are Invited

Conversations With Walking Yogi Nishit Patel

by Jennifer Rose & Better Existence | August 29, 2014

Yes, you are invited to hang out in the sublime company of yogis. You may know some of us from the old days at the Himilayan Institute in New York City, where Nishit was the director. You may be a student of Nishit's from post institute days. You may not yet have met Nishit at all, but be curious about the breadth and depth of yoga and meditation as a practice, a philosophy, a lifestyle. ALL are welcome. You can subscribe right here, on this website. 

I know you are busy. I know it seems impossible to commit to one more thing. But just once a month, if you set aside that first Wednesday and join us, it might go something like this: You slog home from your job exhausted. You ask yourself, "Self, why did you commit to this?" You almost don't log in, but somehow you do. Then, when you make the connection, you think you can hear someone smiling. How is that possible? And that smile settles into your heart. You already feel a little lighter. Then the conversation begins. These topics are not usually discussed. What is the purpose of life? What is death? What is eternity? The smile in your heart is joined by an expansive feeling of possibility unfolding. You feel inspired and uplifted.  It feels like home. At the end of the hour you feel like only a few minutes have passed. You hang up feeling encouraged and ready to transform your tomorrows. This is why yoga-minded people look for opportunities to join together for discussion, for satsang. 

Over the years, many of Nishit's students have relocated across the country and around the world. When I met him in 1998 the technology did not exist to overcome the obstacle of distance, but today, it hardly matters at all. 

When I relocated to Portland in 2012, I knew I would miss Nishit's weekly classes at Three Jewels in New York City. (Mondays at 6:30 PM). Now I see the wonderful opportunity, and I want to include as many old and new friends as I can in these conversations. 

So, check under your sofa cushions, or cancel that Hulu subscription you never use... I jest. But Nishit is really making himself available for a price that represents a token of appreciation each month, and making it possible for us to shine a little in that bathing glow that lights us up within. This is an awesome opportunity.

Your participation is as you wish. You don't even have to join the live call. You can download the recordings later at no additional cost. One subscription covers all. You can submit questions, or just listen in. 

To join the conversation, or to gain access to the recordings, click here, or choose the Events tab. You will be able to read more about the event and, especially, read Nishit's invitation. Hope to see you Wednesday, September 3rd at 7pm New York Time at the first Conversation. 

2 Minutes to Modify Intrusive Visual Images

Take Time to Revise What Your Mind Shows You

By Jennifer Rose | August 17, 2014

I have a friend who suffers from recurrent, unwanted visual imagery, and she asked me to write a blog post about how to work with it. 

I learned a technique from Dr. Achala Singhal, a Cardiologist (poetically and actually she is a doctor of the heart) at the Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences. I met her in New York at the Harnessing Your Power workshop we offered in 2006.

Here in all its simplicity is the technique.

1. Choose an intrusive mental image to work with. Be ready to call it to mind, but don't do that yet.

2. Bring to mind a visual image that gives you a special pleasure. Really get it clear.

3. Now bring to mind that intruding thought. Consciously and carefully surround and imbue it with the image that gives you pleasure. Take your time doing this. 

My resistance to this exercise was high. 

--It won't work.

--It will ruin the thing that gives me pleasure. 

--The negative image will overwhelm the positive one. 

In 2006, I surrounded an intrusive mental image with violets. The image still comes to mind occasionally even in 2014, but it always comes with violets. It never bothers me. I always focus on the violets. They make me feel happy, just as before. The violets won. 

It is worth a try. I would love to hear about your experience if you try this. 

Okay. That was a quicky. It felt like the right time. 

2 Minutes to Soften Tension in Relationships: Personal Reflections

Ever Had One of THOSE Days?

By Jennifer Rose | August 14, 2014

Sometimes it happens. 

Between my publishing deadlines and my husband's social work, one of us gets irritable. Then cupboard doors start getting closed quite decisively. Or one of us flashes a crinkle brow. It's true. We get cranky. 

When it's K who gets cranky, I do this walking on eggshells thing, at least inside my head. It's like a cranky contagion has entered the apartment. Me in my hazmat suit, making a big deal. K is pretty cool with my cranky side. I read somewhere a long time ago that men are better at compartmentalizing that kind of stuff. He's really nice, actually. 

Practicing Together

The other night I was pouting in my hazmat suit when it was time for us to do our 2-minute practice. It occurred to me that we might not practice on this night because of the stink mood in the villa. You know, making a big deal, as I said. But I decided not to allow that thought to determine my action.

I heroically unzipped my hazmat suit and said in my normalest voice: "It's time to breathe." And he pleasantly joined me in the crocodile pose. 

I set my iPhone timer to 2 minutes. 

We breathed. 

The phone chimed after two minutes. 

Something to Feel Proud of

Then we exchanged some marveling and congratulatory phrases, as we commonly do after we practice:

"We did it again!"

"It goes by so fast."

"We are doing really great." 

"I feel so different."

"That's amazing." 

I got a friendly pat. I put away the hazmat outfit. It's not comfortable. It's not flattering.

Life as Laboratory

A few months ago K and I made a contract with each other to practice crocodile breathing for 2 minutes each night for three months. We read on the Mayo Clinic website that vagus nerve stimulation has effects we are interested in. I know diaphragmatic breathing massages the vagus nerve. Okay, it's not an electric implant... maybe that's a good thing. 

K and I missed a night of practice about three weeks ago, so we started over from the beginning. We are making a fun experiment. Being "science-y." 

I love sharing this time with my husband. We reconnect around something positive and inquisitive every day. I look forward to it, and I fondly reflect on it. 

When One Partner Practices

It isn't necessary for both partners to practice to have an impact on a relationship.

My dear friend committed herself to a daily Tai Chi practice. She had wanted to start a daily practice for a long time, and she consulted with me to understand why the practice wasn't sticking. (I am good at this.) After consulting with me, she has been practicing daily for months. We only talked about it once! 

I texted her this morning to inquire whether she had noticed any effects of her practice on her relationship. I got a wonderful reply:

"The self respect and care of my body shows in how I communicate with S. I can tell that with more love and patience with myself, I give this to S." 

2-Minute Practices

Much of the magic of these practices is in their dailyness. It does not take a lot of time. I chose 2 minutes because it is a number the mind accepts. Everyone has two minutes. 

You choose a practice that is meaningful to you. You don't need cards to be part of the 2-Minute Revolution. Your commitment to practice is your enrollment. Practice. Encourage others to practice. We can change the global conversation by being "the change we want to see in the world." Imagine meeting at the water cooler to talk about what positive effects you are noticing from your practice. 

Join the revolution. Start today. 

2-Minute Practice Cards

are available in the Better Existence Online Store. 

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Soothing Practices: 2-Minute Practice Cards

2-Minute Bedtime Practices -- Wake Up Happy

2-Minute Practice Cards are now available in the Better Existence online store. 

These cards are a helping hand reaching out to anyone who suffers from stress, restless nights, or morning dysphoria. There are 7 cards which can be used for a variety of 2-Minute Practices. Clear instructions guide your practice. 

Bedtime Practices bring a variety of benefits: 

1. Practicing before sleep gives you a lot of return on your time investment. Your last thoughts at night become your first thoughts the next morning. This is a great time to make a meaningful investment in yourself on a regular basis. 

2. I have used bedtime practices to vastly improve the quality of my own sleep, and to improve the quality of those wee morning hours when sleep can be elusive. 

3. Those wee morning hours become a time to use these practices, a quiet time you look forward to because you are investing in your own well-being. 

These cards are intended to be companions that accompany you through the night. Each card has a soothing and beautiful image to place near your bed. 

The cards are suitable for beginners as well as advanced practitioners. 

For beginners, these cards introduce a variety of positive practices for body, breath, mind, and awareness. They will allow you to explore different ways to positively affect your well-being.

For advanced practitioners, these cards can anchor you in practice during periods of transition. They are for anyone who has looked in the mirror and said, "You know, you aren't actually practicing." 2-Minute Practice Cards provide friendly support. 

Daily practice is a gift to yourself. We are all busy, but everyone can find two minutes a day to feel a little better. And two minutes a day can truly make a difference. 

Every day, you have a relaxing time to look forward to. Every day, you have some pleasant time to recall, and something you have done that you can be proud of. 

Daily practice capitalizes on the human tendency to form habits, enabling you to add consciously selected threads to the overall fabric of your life and personality. 

Learn more about 2-Minute Practice Cards by visiting the Better Existence online store.

What My New York Friends Asked Me About the 2-Minute Revolution

Every Person on Earth Can Do Something Positive for Two Minutes Each Day

By Jennifer Rose | July 24, 2014

I am back in rainy Portland after visiting New York City. Rain makes me smile. Go figure. 

In New York, everywhere I went, while I was teaching yoga classes, and while I was getting my hair cut, I talked about the 2-Minute Revolution. 

Here are questions people asked about the 2-Minute Revolution, and the answers I gave:

Question: What Should I Do For 2 Minutes?

Answer: Something Positive That Feels Right to You

Three categories of positive things fit into my line of work: 1. working toward a meaningful goal (coaching). 2. Contemplating useful thoughts (introspection) 3. Meditative Practices (Yoga and Meditation)

Here are some of the ideas for 2-Minute Practices I heard from my friends and students:

Listen to the sound of the Hudson River. 

Organize my space. 

Think happy thoughts. 

Here are some ideas from Better Existence:

Sit still in an aligned posture. Read about it here: Harvard Study quoted by Better Existence

Breathe diaphragmatically. Read about it here: Barbara Fredrickson, vagus nerve, love

Simply BE silent. My yoga and meditation teacher Nishit Patel suggests practicing silence for 10 minutes. Well, I do not suppose it could hurt to begin with 2. 

Question: How Much Does It Cost?

Answer: It Is Free!

And if you sign up for the email list (look to the right) you get free encouragement such as reminders to check out the new blog posts, research on daily practices, and product announcements and discounts. 

I have been sharing prototypes of the upcoming 2-Minute practice cards, and people have been heard to say, "I want these!" They will be available very soon. 

So SIGN UP FOR THE MAILING LIST. I don't have any other way to keep in touch with you. 

If you are already practicing 2 minutes per day you are already part of the revolution. Sign up, and I will support you. Then, get your friends to sign up, too. You have already seen the value of a daily practice. Let everyone benefit from your experience, and ask them to sign up for the mailing list to get support for starting their practice. 

Question: How Long Should I Do It?

Answer: As Long As It Feels Right (PS: Every Day for the rest of your life)

This revolution is about turning inward and learning to trust your own inner wisdom. Learn a 2-Minute practice and master it, or try something different every day. And remember, every person on Earth can do something positive for 2 Minutes Every Day. 

Better Existence says, Daily-ness is important. Read about it here: Daily-ness supports change.

Please comment below with your ideas about what to do for 2 Minutes each day. What will you do for 2? 

You can get a free treat by signing up for the email list here: FIVE SECRETS THE BEST TEACHERS WISH YOU KNEW

The 2-Minute Revolution: Establish a Daily Practice

The 2-Minute Revolution:  Commit to a Short, Regular, Positive Practice

By Jennifer Rose | July 9, 2014

What Is The 2-Minute Revolution?

The 2-Minute Revolution is my mission to encourage you to commit to 2 minutes of positive practice each day. I am asking YOU to join a revolution. I am asking you to commit two minutes of your day to your own positive practice, whatever that practice may be.

Why Two Minutes?

Here is what Swami Rama says in Meditation and Its Practice about how long to practice each day:

You may sit for as long as is comfortable or for whatever time you have available on that occasion.

In the same book, Swami Rama stresses the importance of daily meditation at the same time each day. He says it "helps to eliminate the mental resistance caused by laziness and the tendency to procrastinate." (This topic is discussed in an earlier Better Existence blog post "Daily-ness Supports Change.")

Swami Rama is not being a pushover when he says "as long as is comfortable." He is not letting us off the hook when he says "whatever time you have available." He means it.

My meditation teacher Nishit Patel, a student of Swami Rama, has frequently repeated that I may meditate for two minutes when I am busy, but that I should practice on time every day. He too emphasizes the importance of regular, timely practice over feats of endurance.

Research Supports What Meditation Teachers Are Saying

Because I had already heard it from my meditation teacher, I was fascinated by Social Psychologist Amy Cuddy's research on "power posing." It correlates with my meditation instruction on at least two points: 1. assuming an "open, expansive posture," and 2. the length of time equal to two minutes.

Her research had the goal of determining whether posture impacted feeling states and behavior. After participants maintained an "open, expansive pose" for two minutes, the researchers measured decreases in cortisol, the stress hormone, and increases in testosterone, the power hormone, in both female and male study participants. They also measured a marked increase in willingness to take a risk.

The research shows that "a simple 2-min power-pose manipulation was enough to significantly alter the physiological, mental, and feeling states of our participants." Cuddy et al remark, "The implications of these results for everyday life are substantial." Meditation teachers couldn't agree more!

Swami Rama has stated that if one would only imitate the posture of a meditator, even without meditating, they would reap enormous benefits. He has called the need to meditate a "dire necessity." 

Last week's blog post explained that 2 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing could create feelings of love. Cuddy's evidence shows that 2 minutes in a meditation posture "is enough to significantly alter the physiological, mental, and feeling states of participants."  

Get These Benefits Into Your Life Today

You can see that I am leading up to something. Are you ready to commit to 2 minutes a day to reap these rewards for yourself? Please add your comments below. 

If you are ready to join the 2-minute revolution simply start your daily practice. If you need support for your practice, call me 646-831-2675 or email BetterExistenceEmail@gmail.com.

We can help you be comfortable in a meditation posture. We can help you learn to breathe diaphragmatically. We can help you identify the right time for your practice, one that will support your effort. 

Even if your positive practice is not meditation, we are here to support you with our program for turning your habit of failure into The New Habit of Success. 

These benefits are your birthright. Claim them. 

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2 Minutes of Diaphragmatic Breathing to Feel Love? You bet.

by Jennifer Rose | Thursday, July 3, 2014

Diaphragmatic Breathing Is the Foundation, Love the Culmination

I was inspired by this small item from Dr. Renu Kapoor's Facebook Page Personality Blog: 

The simple practice of deep breathing with diaphragmatic movement is the foundation for the science of breath. H.H.Swami Rama - Lectures On Yoga.

The most basic meditation skills: posture and diaphragmatic breathing, bestow endless blessings on the developing practice of meditation. 

Crocodile Pose Develops Awareness of Diaphragmatic Breathing

From the beginning of my training I have found the Crocodile Pose indispensable in the development of diaphragmatic breathing. 

I was slow to catch on to the feeling of breathing diaphragmatically. In the crocodile pose, diaphragmatic breathing is automatic! By studying the sensations and effects of diaphragmatic breathing in crocodile pose I taught myself what to look for in my seated meditation posture. 

To breathe in crocodile pose:

Notice how you feel before you lie down, so you can compare it to how you feel afterward. Notice how you feel physically and emotionally, and notice whether your thoughts are rushing or calm and the quality of your thoughts.

1. Lie on your belly with your legs separated comfortably and your feet and legs relaxed at whatever angle and rotation is the most comfortable.  

2. Support yourself on your elbows, so your chest is lifted, and fold your forearms in front of you. 

3. Adjust the distance of your folded arms away from your chest so that:
a. you can rest your forehead on your forearms
b. the rim formed by the bottom of your ribcage rests on the floor

4. Place your forehead on your forearms and relax with your eyes closed. 

Pay Attention While You Breathe In the Pose

Ask yourself:

What do I feel in my back?
What do I feel in my sides?
What do I feel in my ribs?
What do I feel in my belly?

Take a few deeper breaths, pressing the air out as you exhale, then relaxing and inhaling naturally. Return to breathing normally before you release the pose. 

Notice how you feel after the pose, physically, emotionally, and mentally. If you are like me, you might not want to get up. 

Why Does That Feel So Good?

When we breathe deeply and diaphragmatically we are getting more oxygen. We squeeze stale air out of the underutilized base of the lungs, and we naturally inhale more deeply. It is easy to feel how much our bodies love oxygen. 

When we breathe diaphragmatically, we create sensations that are the opposite of "fight or flight." Our sensations tell us that we are safe and calm. After a couple of minutes, the mind begins to believe what the body is saying.

And the vagus nerve is massaged by the movement of the diaphragm. 

Positive psychology researcher Barbara Fredrickson has tied vagus nerve activity to experiences of love.

"Your vagus nerve is a biological asset that supports and coordinates your bodily experiences of connection — of love." Barbara Fredrickson in Aeon Magazine

If the crowning achievement of a meditation practice is to "Love all and exclude none," as Swami Rama concludes in his lecture Treading the Path of Superconscious Meditation, then breathing in a way that massages the vagus nerve seems a very logical foundation.

Call me if the pose is uncomfortable for you.
There are variations that achieve the same results.
One size does not fit all.
Give yourself a personalized practice.
Better Existence 646-831-2675
BetterExistenceEmail@gmail.com

If you find you can't get enough on the topic of diaphragmatic breathing you will love this exhaustive exploration on SwamiJ.com, complete with pictures of cadavers!

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